“You mean…no ziplines, no skate park, no Wild Water Slides at Little Spar Lake… not even the moving skywalk to the Skyview Deck on Scotchman 2?”

“Nope. This was pristine backcountry. Wild, rugged and breathtaking. But then some concerned citizens banded together and prevented the government from ‘locking up’ this valuable piece of real estate. And now thanks to their wisdom and forethought, we get to enjoy these fine facilities.”

“Oh,” (long, contemplative pause), “well, it’s still pretty wild up here. Honestly, my favorite part of coming up here is seeing the natural beauty of the trees, flowers, waterfalls and rock formations.”

“Yes,” Grandfather sighed, “the landscape designers did a fine job.”

He felt an ache in his heart as he sat in silence, gazing through misty eyes, beyond the Mt. Scotchman Memorial Freeway toward the sparkling lake … remembering…

“Grandpa? Grandpa, you OK?”

“What? Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just missing an old and dear friend.”

“OK, well, I’ll let you be alone with your friend for a while. I’m going to wander over and check out the rock gym.”

Mark W. Cochran is a Sandpoint business owner, a graduate of the University of Idaho, a retired U.S. Marine, and an active volunteer with Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

While we have you ...

... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.

Pick up this week's Reader for the lowdown on Winter Carnival Week 2 — including the Weird & Wonderful Pub Crawl and K9 Keg Pull — as well as news, opinion, Emily Articulated, an interview with new downtown shop Wolf & Bell and so much more.

Grab a print copy around town or look under "Reader in Print" on sandpointreader.com to find the digital copy.

Dubbed “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” Michael Winslow has appeared in such comedy classics as “Spaceballs,” “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie" and of course, as “Motormouth Jones” in the “Police Academy” films. Aside from acting, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of beatboxing.

He’ll be showcasing his unique brand of comedy at the 219 Lounge for two days on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.

Read an interview between Winslow and our publisher Ben — an interview Ben described as his "favorite" of all time — at sandpointreader.com. ... See MoreSee Less

Community Calendars

Community Calendars

This week in Sandpoint: Our town’s biggest party of the season kicks off Friday with the Sandpoint Winter Carnival‘s sweet Parade of Lights through downtown. And that just gets things started. See all events on this week, Feb. 11-17:

Sandpoint in Pictures

Sandpoint in Pictures

November’s Sandpoint in Pictures winner. There is a touching sentiment behind this photo, which captured November’s photo contest prize. And a new contest is in full swing for December, too. Submit a photo, see local pics, and vote at SandpointPictures.com»

Sports and Outdoors

Meet the Reader

Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well–loved) office each week.

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The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.